The operational environment of an aircraft wing is extremely hostile. Wing components are exposed to temperatures of between −65° C. and 85° C. Further, the components are exposed to water and ice and are subject to extreme air loading forces.
The wings of aircraft are provided with wing components which extend from the wing main frame to change the aerodynamic shape of the wing. Flaps extend from the rear of the wing and slats extend from the front of the wing.
Due to the low temperatures experienced by the wings in extreme ambient conditions, ice build-up on the wings is a well-known serious problem. This is particularly so on the leading edge of the wing. Ice protection systems are well-known and one such system uses an exhaust feed from the engines to channel hot air along the wings in order to prevent ice build-up (an anti-ice system) or to remove ice (a de-icing system). It is also known in the art to provide electrical de-icing and anti-icing systems which can comprise heating elements or acoustic elements. For wing components which can be extended away from the wing main body, there is thus a need to provide a robust coupling arrangement for coupling services between the wing main body and the extendible wing components. When the wing components are extended, the coupling arrangements are exposed to extreme ambient conditions. In an ice protection system the coupling arrangement is required to provide electrical communication between the ice protection elements provided on the wing components and a ice protection control system provided on the aircraft. There is also a need to provide for lightning strike protection to extendible wing components. This requires electrical cable coupling between wing components and the wing main body.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an improved wing aircraft coupling arrangement for coupling services to and/or from a wing component which is translationally extendible from the wing of an aircraft.